Yesterday they moved the canoe down to Inarajan for the Saint Joseph Fiesta. Today we re-enacted the arrival of the statue. We got the canoe into the water and loaded the statue aboard. A power boat was there to tow Quest out to the harbor entrance and then the crew paddled to shore. As they came the church choir sang hymns in Chamorro. The priest was there in his robes and several alter boys with incense burners. The deacon read the history of the statue, quoting eyewitnesses of the miracle that broguht the saint to Inarajan. Then 4 young men went out to where the Quest lay next to the shore and they brought the saint in. They set him in a wooden carrier and then the procession went off to return him to the church. It was a very pretty ceremony and the weather cooperated wonderfully. Overhead there were no clouds. The breeze kept things cool. The young men and women were dressed in their best Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. It was a lovely day.

The rest of the day is given to celebrations and a carnival. there are food booths and crafts for sale. There is a stage where dancers and singers perform. The site is lovely too. Gef Pago is a make believe village with small huts built of bamboo and coconut fronds. The bay is long and narrow with high ground on either side so the breeze is channeled right through the trees and around the booths.

I couldn't stay. I had to come home to pack and prepare for my trip tomorrow. I have to get up at 3:00 AM to be at the airport in time for my trip. In Japan Wakana will be getting up at her 3:00 AM to get to the airport to meet me.

If anyone would like to have a Traditional Seafarer's T-shirt please contact me. We just printed new shirts. The front has a sketch of the bow of the canoe and four sets of the navigator's dolphins. The back has the star chart with the Chamorro constellations and the canoe in the middle. The sirts are $15.00 plus shipping.